We are pleased to welcome for the second consecutive year OLENA MAXIMOV, curator of the exhibition, who will highlight the work of DELNARA EL. 

AGAINST INTERPRETATION  

"Against Interpretation" is the title of Susan Sontag's famous essay, which begins with a quote from Oscar Wilde: "Only a superficial man does not judge by appearances. The truth is in the visible, not in the invisible." The modern pace of life has long taught us to read titles and form opinions based on established associations. But can't this mislead us and somewhat limit our field of vision? For example, Simon Morley, author of the book "The Seven Keys to Contemporary Art," invites us to become more deeply acquainted with the works, based on the historical context, the artist's biography, and to apply skeptical and empirical approaches. In contemporary art, there is no single "correct" method of perceiving a work. Authoritative opinions on this subject diverge. Using the example of Delnara's solo exhibition, I suggest that you interact with the artist's works yourselves and find the one that will be enriching. The artist's works are contrasts both visually and in terms of content, just as Delnara herself embodies oppositions. How will you perceive her? What will her works discuss with you? And what approach to understanding art will suit you best?

O. Maximov

About Delnara El.

Delnara El was born in 1989 in Kyiv, Ukraine. She has been living in Turkey for four years. She graduated in architecture (best student in her faculty). She quickly found a job in her specialty. However, a strong desire to discover the world and "write" books where she could fix -she says- "everything": Culture, people, local specialties of exotic countries in drawings. This desire first leads her to an academic drawing program at the Salvador Dali Academy of Contemporary Art. There, she soon realizes that reproducing tons of shadows and geometric shapes is extremely far from the proper way to convey the sensations experienced in exotic countries. For this, she takes a sketchbook and begins to learn on the spot, guided by her own feelings. The journey has been long (starting in 2010), but incredibly interesting and enriching for her artistic vision. The artist immersed herself in the discovery of local materials, creating her own color pigments, which makes her watercolors so vivid.

At the same time, Delnara launched the “Artbook Mania” project for art lovers and artists, where she takes them to the most picturesque corners of the world (50 books and 30 countries published to date). Thus, her passion has become a profession. Realizing that she cannot work in any other way, she focuses on finding new ideas and new artistic practices. Today, Delnara explores the polysemy of the concept of “migration” (The theme of this year’s biennial). Drawing on her nomadic life experience, she reflects on new facets of multicultural and multiethnic society. She applies a dynamic worldview, considering migration as a tool to reconsider one’s “mental map” in order to see clearly and get rid of “automatic perception”. This way of working leaves room for the miracles of life itself.

Hourly: 

From December 3 to 7, 17 p.m. to 21 p.m. or by appointment.

Saturday, December 7, 11 a.m. to 17 p.m. 

Calendar:

Tuesday 3: Press Meeting. 15 p.m. - 20 p.m.

Thursday 5: Opening. 17 p.m.-21 p.m.

Saturday 7: Visits and workshops for children (making Christmas tree decorations with the artist). 

GFT: Rue de la Madeleine 10.1204 Geneva. First floor. 

Fahid Taghavi, Tanya Molskaya and Dirk Appermont.